The Battle of Betazed - Charlotte Douglas [80]
Chapter Eighteen
A FTER B EVERLY C RUSHER and Nerissa Povron completed their evaluations of the Betazoids and Jem’Hadar who had tested the emotion projection theory, Deanna, Lwaxana, Riker, and Dr. Povron transported to the resistance stronghold. Sorana Xerix, Cort Enaren, and the rest of the council were waiting for them in the meeting room.
Lwaxana faced the group. “We don’t have much time, so we’ll get right to the point. Deanna will explain what we’ve learned about an alternative to Tevren’s killing method.”
Deanna sensed the council’s quickened interest as well as an unspoken sense of relief. The Betazoids would welcome another option, but the only other choice she could offer had its own horrible consequences. She was glad the decision wasn’t hers. She would present the council with the facts and let them make the hard choices.
After explaining what Tevren did to her before he died and the brutal component to his killing method, Deanna told them, “You have another option. Tevren also had the ability to project intense emotions into people’s minds.”
“What good would that do us?” Sorana asked with impatience. “Do you expect us simply to scare the enemy to death?”
Deanna shook her head. “Thousands of Betazoids died on Sentok Nor, but as a result of the horrible experiments performed on them, we’ve learned something crucial about the Jem’Hadar. These soldiers have a flaw that telepaths can use to their advantage.”
Enaren folded his arms over his chest, his face tight with concentration. Sorana and several other council members leaned forward, intent on Deanna’s explanation. Lwaxana observed her daughter with undisguised pride.
“When Crell Moset succeeded in creating telepathic Jem’Hadar,” Deanna continued, “his subjects all died from horrific seizures. Their minds were overwhelmed by the tremendous influx of emotions and sensations that a natural telepath learns to control over time. This is what killed them.”
“Are you saying the Jem’Hadar on Betazed are telepathic?” Enaren asked in alarm.
“No,” Deanna said, “but even without telepathic abilities, they don’t process emotions as most humanoids do. When Captain Picard learned about this unique characteristic from Moset, the captain had several Jem’Hadar transported onto the Enterprise. In an experiment, I taught my mother and a group of telepaths we rescued from Sentok Nor how to project emotions into the Jem’Hadar’s minds.”
“What kind of emotions?” Sorana asked.
Deanna nodded to her mother to continue.
“We tapped into the whole gamut,” Lwaxana explained. “Hate, guilt, apprehension, fear, anger, hope, despair, longing, sadness, surprise, resolve, annoyance, confusion, contentment, desire, grief, disapproval, even forgiveness and love. Our group bombarded the Jem’Hadar with these feelings, and Dr. Crusher monitored their responses.”
“Did the Jem’Hadar die?” Enaren asked.
Deanna shook her head. “They became catatonic, as if overwhelmed.”
“I don’t understand,” Sorana said with a shake of her head but a glint of hope in her eyes.
“Their minds shut down,” Povron explained, “like a computer protecting itself from a power surge.”
“They’re permanently impaired?” Enaren asked.
“The Jem’Hadar on the Enterprise recovered in less than an hour,” Povron said, “but during that hour they were helpless.”
“So we don’t have to kill them to conquer them?” Enaren said.
“That’s the upside of this method,” Lwaxana said. “We don’t have to reduce ourselves to murderers.”
“What’s the downside?” Sorana asked.
“There are several disadvantages,” Deanna said. She glanced at Will, who nodded in support. He more than anyone, besides her mother, knew how difficult presenting Tevren’s information was for Deanna.
“First,” Deanna said, “we don’t know if the laboratory experiment can be duplicated over an entire planet.”
“The Jem’Hadar are spread out,” Lwaxana explained. “Reaching every soldier in every enemy encampment to overpower them empathically may prove difficult or even impossible.”
Deanna nodded. “And we can’t be sure how long the affected